Articles
7 August 2020

ASEAN Morning Bytes

Investors wait on China trade and US jobs data for more direction

EM Space: Sentiment to remain mixed ahead of key data

  • General Asia: Market players await US labor market data later on Friday for trading cues while also monitoring development on the fate of the planned extension of the US paycheck protection bill. Also in focus on Friday are simmering US-China tension with Trump looking to crack down on Chinese listed companies. Investors will continue to monitor Covid-19 developments and wait on economic data like China’s trade figures and the US jobs data for additional direction on Friday.
  • Malaysia: June industrial production data is due today. The consensus of a 10.4% YoY IP fall is at odds with a surprising rebound in exports in June by 8.8% YoY. The easing of the Covid-19 lockdown lifted economic activity in June. But, the base-year effect imparted more volatility to year-on-year growth rates. The base effect was favourable for exports but not so for IP. This is the last piece of data in the estimation of GDP in 2Q20, which we see plunging by 8.3% YoY. 2Q GDP data is due next Friday, 14 August.
  • Philippines: Philippine 2Q GDP dropped 16.5%YoY, the steepest contraction to date as lockdown measures scuttled economic activity across almost all sectors. The stark drop in economic activity may prod the central bank to cut rates further although Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Diokno may be running out of ammunition as real policy rates go deeper into negative territory. Government officials have revised official forecasts for GDP to -5.5% in 2020 and 6.5-7.5 for 2021-2022. Meanwhile, the budget deficit is set to widen to 9.6% in 2020, 8.5% in 2021 and 7.2% in 2022 as revenue streams remain challenged.

What to look out for: China trade data and US non-farm payrolls plus Covid-19 developments

  • China and Taiwan trade data (7 August)
  • Malaysia industrial production (7 August)
  • US non-farm payrolls (7 August)

Disclaimer

"THINK Outside" is a collection of specially commissioned content from third-party sources, such as economic think-tanks and academic institutions, that ING deems reliable and from non-research departments within ING. ING Bank N.V. ("ING") uses these sources to expand the range of opinions you can find on the THINK website. Some of these sources are not the property of or managed by ING, and therefore ING cannot always guarantee the correctness, completeness, actuality and quality of such sources, nor the availability at any given time of the data and information provided, and ING cannot accept any liability in this respect, insofar as this is permissible pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations.

This publication does not necessarily reflect the ING house view. This publication has been prepared solely for information purposes without regard to any particular user's investment objectives, financial situation, or means. The information in the publication is not an investment recommendation and it is not investment, legal or tax advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any financial instrument. Reasonable care has been taken to ensure that this publication is not untrue or misleading when published, but ING does not represent that it is accurate or complete. ING does not accept any liability for any direct, indirect or consequential loss arising from any use of this publication. Unless otherwise stated, any views, forecasts, or estimates are solely those of the author(s), as of the date of the publication and are subject to change without notice.

The distribution of this publication may be restricted by law or regulation in different jurisdictions and persons into whose possession this publication comes should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions.

Copyright and database rights protection exists in this report and it may not be reproduced, distributed or published by any person for any purpose without the prior express consent of ING. All rights are reserved.

ING Bank N.V. is authorised by the Dutch Central Bank and supervised by the European Central Bank (ECB), the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) and the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). ING Bank N.V. is incorporated in the Netherlands (Trade Register no. 33031431 Amsterdam).